Baby Steps
by Kroissant
Summary: Felix reunites with his found-family and witnesses his twins taking their first / (includes Blue Lions) Secret Santa gift to the one and only @roxyryoko!


**Secret Santa event, yay!**

**So my selected recipient was roxyryoko! They weren't picky with anything so-*cracks knuckles* I made sure to sprinkle a bit of my magic, heart, and soul into this one!**

**I was inspired by marathoning the movie, Love Actually, and the scene of the airport was crucial to the final story you are reading now. Aside from that, another inspiration-and I kid you not, watching Erika Mendez's twitch channel and listening to Lucian Dodge making fart noises.**

**And thanks to my dumb brain, this was how it translated:br /**

**Lucian Dodge = Felix**

**Fart noises = blowing loudly on a child's chubby belly**

**In conclusion = Felix being soft around his children!**

**Alright, let's get started!**

**I give you all my Secret Santa gift! Enjoy!**

* * *

Inside the international Fhirdiad airport was full of joy and merriment.

The crowds of people were swiftly on the move to get to their next destination.

The forceful blaring of popular Christmas songs from the public speakers persists in a frustrating loop, with colorful Christmas lights decorating through the many stores and ceiling as far as the eye could see. Such chaotic flair of large snowmen and snowflake decorum, the iconic red, and green within range only seems to increase the Christmas spirit.

Rolling his hefty blue luggage, Felix silently maneuvers his way in the crowd.

He peers up a few times, checking to make sure he was going the right way before heading straight to the elevators. Keeping his luggage and shoulder bag close, he descends, tailed by the other passengers coming from the same plane as he did.

Above their heads, enormous banners of Saint Claus and his sleigh full of presents comes into view—with a heartfelt message of greetings to one and all who safely returned from their flight.

Felix kept quiet throughout the whole ordeal, his mind drifting elsewhere.

While waiting on the winding elevator, he slides his gloved hand into one of his front pockets to dig out his phone. Pressing the middle button, he swipes his thumb across the screen and was met with the wallpaper of his three, favorite people.

At this, Felix's eyes soften.

He came home a day early from work, catching the last airplane ride from Derdriu to the Capital City of Kingdom Faerghus. In accordance to his schedule, he was to be expected to remain there for a few more weeks at most—staying for a three-hour conference with other employees he wasn't particularly fond of, rotting to death behind a front desk while tinkering away on a computer, and educating the trainees of the emergency and company protocols.

But the thought of his small, growing family would cross his mind, more times than he could count.

The bewitching beauty of his lovely wife, with her shining smiles and her hypnotic serenades, kept him awake and energized throughout the day.

His twins, or the little troublemakers as he would fondly nickname them—one with a hyperactive spirit and constant laughter, and the other being the complete opposite; fearful of the world and wailing loudly for his mother—would be haunting him at every turn, calling out to him with the limited speech they manage to pick up.

Quite often, whenever Felix would walk back to his hotel, alone and fatigued, he would imagine them—his wife next to him, her right hand intertwined with his own, and together, they would be supporting their two sleeping children, with Felix in charge of the eldest and she with the youngest.

Driven to see them again, Felix dropped everything and packed his belongings to catch the next flight to Fhirdiad.

* * *

Four and a half hours later, here he was—ready to get the hell out of this damn airport with a plan to surprise his family.

Despite the irritating scowl and scary look naturally on his face, deep down, he couldn't keep still.

His heart pounds hard against his chest; his cheeks slightly flustered. Felix allows a faint smile to spread across his lips, as the image of his wife and children resurfaces.

Felix lowers his gaze, noticing the elevator ride was drawing near.

He sighs, shoving his phone back in his pocket. Reclaiming the handle of his luggage, Felix gets off at the last stop of the elevator and moves forward. Not wasting time, he follows the large congregation of other passengers exiting through large, glass doors.

He dodges a few along the way, clicking his tongue as he nearly toppled over a passing child, and retrains his eyes on his goal.

"Almost there," He mutters lowly, quickening his pace.

Stepping out from the entrance and into the vast, open space of the arrival gate, Felix was met with a welcoming sight of another crowd standing behind the fence—with big handmade posters of people's names, eagerly awaiting to reunite with their loved ones.

He keenly observes them for a brief moment, and briskly walks out from harm's way.

Felix pulls his luggage, frowning deeply as he stops near the large decorated, Christmas tree.

He fishes out his phone from his pocket, growing a little restless as he takes note of the time displayed on the screen.

8 P.M.

Great, rush hour.

At this point, trying to get a taxicab was already out of the question.

Fixing his sights back on his phone, Felix presses his thumb harshly on the green phone app.

After scrolling through his long list of contacts, he was able to pinpoint the person of interest. Placing his phone to the shell of his ear, he frowns, tapping his left foot irritably on the floor as he waits for the caller on the other line to answer.

"_**Hey! You've reached the one and only Sylvain's phone—"**_

Felix touches the red button, canceling it entirely.

And then he tries it again.

Same damn message.

…Maybe Ingrid?

He finds her phone number, chooses it, and then waits.

"_**This is Ingrid. Please leave a message after—"**_

Great, another dead call.

Felix sighs heavily, and wonders who else should he call next?

After mulling it over, he surrenders. Guess, the Boar will have to do.

For the third try, Felix selects the number on the list and then waits.

"Come on, come on, pick up," Felix seethes, his anger getting heightened by the minute.

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

"_**You have reached His Highness's personal phone,"**_ Dedue, Dimitri's retainer, calmly speaks up in a low tone, _**"If you wish to make a scheduled appointment, please contact the number—"**_

Felix cancels the call before the voice message could reach the beep.

…Well, he was out of options at this point.

Now what?

Something vibrates in his hand startling him.

Curious, Felix lifts his phone and stares at the screen.

His heart stops beating.

Felix swallows thickly. After a bit of hesitation, he clears his throat, and accepts the call. He places the phone on his ear again, and mumbles out a lame, "…Hey,"

"Hey yourself~" His wife teases, sounding quite silly, "Just wanted to drop in and ask if everything's alright with work,"

Felix shrugs, the knots on his shoulders unwinding as he surrenders to her melodious voice. "It's going okay," He lies, pulling his luggage close to his feet. "How are you and the kids?"

"We're doing okay," She replies back, and he could imagine her twirling her finger around a loose strand of her hair. "The munchkins are fast asleep, so that's a plus,"

Felix hears his wife's ringing laughter, and a dumb grin materializes. He turns to take a look at the large Christmas tree display behind him. "Are you calling because you missed me?"

His wife squeaks, and Felix pictures her brightly, crimson face. He chuckles at this, his expression thawing as he listens to the weird shuffling in the background.

Felix frowns growing concern. "You alright?"

"Yes, baby," She assures him, her words growing softer. "I'm still here,"

A minute of silence and then—

"…I miss you,"

Hearing this, Felix smiles sorrowfully. Heaving a deep breath, he closes his eyes and imagines what it would feel like to wrap his arms and hold her close again.

"I miss you more," He releases a long, heavy sigh. "Ann…I'll be home. I promise,"

"I know," She says, and quickly adds, "Then what are you standing around for?"

Felix blinks, taking a good minute to digest her words.

What did she—

"Turn around, Felix,"

And he does.

His eyes slowly widen as the sight of familiar faces enters his line of vision.

His friends, both old and new, all came to witness his return, with their own children each holding separate handmade posters, with some having 'Uncle Felix' written on them, strikingly similar to the ones he'd seen before at the front of the arrival gates.

Yet, what caught his interest the most were three notable figures—a beautiful short woman, with bright orange curls and a large smile, holding two small toddlers, safe and secured in her strong arms, one with a head of dark blue and another of bright orange, both soundly asleep.

On the side of her left was Ingrid dutifully holding her phone close to her ear.

Felix stood there, frozen still.

All eyes were on him, but his main focus was on her, and their little ones.

He dares to take a few steps, and when he does, the group of children rushes at him at full speed.

"**UNCLE FELIX!"**

"**WELCOME HOME!"**

Their unanimous cries filter the air, and Felix blushes in embarrassment as he catches a few bystanders from afar, watching them in amusement.

Felix reverts his attention back to the blurred specks of four red, brown, and blonde coming his way. Heaving a deep breath in, he puts on a brave face, steeling himself for the mob coming in…sadly, he had underestimated and ended up getting toppled over in the process.

Even so, a grin sneaks its way across his face and looking up, finds the children mirroring the same.

Removing themselves from him, some of the older boys and boys helped their Uncle sit upright and surround him.

"UNCLE FELIX!" They all cried in unison, and Felix cringes.

Another burst of laughter startles him, and this time, it was coming from his friends, who approached and encircled around him, quite similarly as the children.

"How's it going, Fe?" Sylvain jokes, to which he earns a playful smack on the shoulder.

Still, Felix gives him a lopsided grin and gives him a sideways hug.

Next came Ingrid, who shoots Felix a stern gaze.

"Just in time," She says and raises her clenched fist. "And here I thought you forgot about us,"

Felix rolls his eyes, though returns the same gesture, bumping their fists together.

Ashe came, and right off the bat, jumps head-in to envelop the latter in a tight hug. Felix gasps, confused and bewildered by his younger friend's abnormal strength.

"Good thing you came before Christmas," Ashe replies, tearing away.

Felix nods and then smirks. Wordlessly, he reaches out to bring a hand to pat on Ashe's shoulder, though not before ruffling his hair in the process.

After Mercedes (which required of him simply standing and her patting his head fondly as she was holding tight of her infant son), Dimitri, Byleth, and Dedue who all dressed up incognito, (both times bowing his head, and exchanging quick smiles), last but not least, the moment of truth came.

Felix watches Annette stroll over to him, smiling gently and ready to take her into his arms…

She pauses in her tracks.

There was a good, open distance separating her from her husband and their friends.

Felix patiently waits, reading her body movements and trying to guess her next move.

To his surprise, Annette carefully squats to her knees, the frames of her cream dress touching the tiled floor.

Felix watches, in bated breath, as she gently wakes their children up, pecking them both on the temple and stirring them awake by rubbing her hand on their backs. Gwen was the first of the two to awaken.

Opening her mouth wide, Gwen pulls out her tongue and yawns loudly. Not long after, Glenn joins in.

Rubbing their eyes, the twins look up to their mother, blinking innocently.

Beaming, Annette says something to them, then points a finger directly at Felix.

The twins follow this, and upon sighting their father, their eyes turn large.

"FHA FHA!"

A large dumb grin materializes across Felix's face.

His stomach becomes sweltering with warmth sensation, chuckling as he sees his two children desperately wriggle themselves out of their mother's hold. Together, they successfully slide off from her arms, with their tiny little shoes touching the floor.

And then the unexpected happens.

With the encouragement of Annette, young Glenn and Gwen twirl their round bodies around and begin taking their first steps.

Felix's grin broadens, feeling a sense of pride and pleasure washing over him as he witnesses this first-hand.

He couldn't believe it—he was actually here, watching his children take their very first steps.

"You've got this one in the bag, kiddos!" Sylvain hollers like a maniac—as what a supportive, honorable Uncle should be.

"Take one step at a time!" Ashe exclaims after, taking his role as their godfather seriously, "You two can do this!"

One after another, more encouragements keep coming—this time, from his nieces and nephews around him. From the corner of his eye, Felix notices the rest of his other friends sharing the same look as he did: glowing with pride.

Though there were a few exceptions like Sylvain, Ashe, Ingrid, and even Dimitri snapping photos and recording videos on their phones. Byleth and Mercedes remain quiet, observing the spectacle unfolding with curious eyes.

But Felix chooses to block them away.

Right here and now, his family was all that really matters to him.

That said, Felix glimpses at Annette across from where he was, who simply offers him a sweet smile.

And it was then he realized that she knew this whole time—as if she had planned everything beforehand and knew just how important it was for him to be here, right at this moment, to see this.

Felix reverts his full attention to his children already showing signs of struggle and delay. He narrows his eyes to inspect them and quickly takes notice of their deep frowns.

Gwen looks to be fighting hard, eyebrows furrowing hard staring down on the floor as she attempts to take one step at a time.

And then there was her brother—oh, poor Glenn was on a verge of weeping.

Unlike his sister, he suddenly stopped walking and began rubbing his eyes, shaking. Nearby, Annette was quick to come over, stroking his small back as he wails uncontrollably, frozen still in his spot.

Although Felix was too far away, he could hear it…his son mumbling his name.

Felix's heart breaks for his children, feeling useless. And then it hits him. He sneakily moves up a bit and hollers, "Glenn! Gwen!"

The twins glance his way and he throws them an assuring smile. Without a word, he spreads his arms to welcome them in.

Gwen catches this, and flashes a big smile, revealing her front buckteeth for all to see. "Fha Fha!"

Rekindled with confidence, the little girl trudges on.

Left, right, left, right.

She puts in more effort, more pressure into her walk.

Left, right, left, right.

Right away, Glenn notices this and wiping away his tears, puts on a brave face. He looks to his mother who gives him one more pat on the back and gently pushes him to move forward. Her little boy does so, darting his attention to his waiting father.

He was so close to passing the boundary.

Recovering quickly, Glenn builds up the courage to speed up a little. "Fha Fha!" He cries out, and tails after his sister.

Left, right, left, and right.

The little boy waddles, eyes glossy with more fresh tears beginning to spill out. His button nose, already swollen red from his ugly sobbing. "Fha…Fha…" He hiccups, contrasting with his sister's upbeat cheer.

Felix's expression thaws, melting at the sight of his twins—their chubby hands reaching out to him… eager and delighted to go to him, with their clumsy movements strikingly in par with that of baby penguins…shoes squeaking loudly across the floor.

Felix inhales a sharp breath.

Damn it—just like their mother, they were too adorable beyond words.

"FHA FHA!"

He looks up and his heartbeats.

They were finally in close proximity, and just a few more steps…

"FHA FHA!"

"Fha…Fha…"

At long last, they did it.

Gwen and Glenn made it to the finish line and to the inviting arms of their awaiting father.

Once they cross the final stretch, Felix was quick to capture them, sweeping them off their feet and into his embrace.

The twins laugh exuberantly, chanting out his silly nickname and lifting their chubby arms high.

Gwen smiles brightly, cupping her father's cheeks with her tiny hands and smoldering him with many kisses. As for Glenn, he was choking up in tears, choosing to bury his face into his father's chest and hiccupping, gripping his tiny fist tightly.

Felix snickers, eyes softening as he rubs the tip of his nose with his little girl. "You did well," He congratulations them, and dipping his chin a little, pecks a soft kiss on his darling son's orange head. "Papa's so proud,"

He drinks in the laughter of his children, the back of his neck heating up as he could feel the intense staring of his friends nearby—with Sylvain coming closer to record more of them on his phone, literally butting into their privacy.

Alas, Felix disregards this and instead, breaths in their scent.

The lingering smell of peppermint whiffs through his nose, and he can't help but roll his eyes.

…Great.

First, Annette themes the outfit of their children with red and green, and now this?

Looking up, Felix allows a smile to spread on his lips, taking in the sight of his wonderful, darling wife.

Speak of the devil.

"Welcome home," Annette greets, with her hands on her back and tipping her head. "So, did you like the surprise?

Felix smiles at this, fondly watching his wife pinch Gwen on the cheek and kissing her on the head.

"Ann,"

Annette hears her name and gives him a questionable look.

Felix doesn't say a word and gradually leans in, his eyes half-closed. Annette shields her daughter's eyes who curiously watch them at play, as she, too leans to bridge the gap between them—

"Woah, kids! Cover your eyes! Incoming PDA!" Sylvain warns loudly, causing the pair to freeze.

Felix abruptly stops and peers over his shoulder, shooting a glare at his childhood friend for disrupting their moment.

Sylvain winks in return, already going out of his way to place his hands over two of his children's eyes, with Ingrid, Ashe, Dedue, and Byleth doing the same with the ones left remaining.

Dimitri and Mercedes's exchange grins in the background before switching their fixation at the anticipating scene.

"Go on now," Dimitri speaks up, waving his hand at his childhood friend in assurance. "Better do so quickly,"

Felix gives his friends one more cautious look, then fixes his gaze at his wife.

His ears catch his wife's ringing laughter and melt, making a genuine smile.

He sneaks a peek at their two children, both comfortably settled in his arms, and burying their faces—with Glenn sleeping soundly and apparently drooling on his chest.

Facing his wife, he leans closer.

"I'm home," He says softly and kisses her.

Who was he to say, to stay here a bit longer?

His group of friends serving as a reminder of how far he'd come in his life and becoming the second family he never thought to have. Now, as a father of two little troublemakers and a husband to the favorite person he loved the most, and never wanting anything more than this…

"I love you," Annette utters, and Felix smiles in their kiss.

Withdrawing, he offers her a smile.

"I love you more," He replies back, and dives in to steal another kiss.

* * *

"Now that the band's back together, this calls for a celebration!" Sylvain proposes, earning his friends' and the children's' undivided attention.

Ingrid crosses her arms, giving him a wary stare. "And where exactly would that be?"

The redhead glances at her and smirks. "His Majesty's Castle, of course,"

Dimitri groans inwardly.

"Of course," Dedue echoes, shaking his head with a small smile of his own.

"And we wouldn't have it any other way," Byleth finishes, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

At this, many of her former students nodded their heads unanimously.

Mercedes stifles a light giggle. "Then what are we waiting for?" She says, readjusting her infant boy in her arms, who was already wide-awake and already sucking his thumb. "Shall we get going?"

"Let's get a move on then!" Sylvain suddenly cries, and picking up his youngest daughter on his shoulder, quickly adding, "The last one in the van's a rotten egg" And off he bolts to the nearest exit.

The children shriek as they follow Sylvain out the door, rushing forward and paying no mind to cause a ruckus among the incoming crowd. Naturally, Byleth took the lead with Ingrid and Dimitri quick to come in, teaming up to keep the four children collectively together and the traffic at hand.

As the rest of the friends' trail after the commotion, Felix and his small family are left at the far back.

Stripped away from his luggage and shoulder bag which Ashe and Dedue were kind enough to take away, Felix adjusts his youngest son still nestled and fast-asleep in his arms.

The poor boy exhausted himself, returning to his sleep, and snoring lightly. His heartbeat grew steady, becoming in sync with his father's. And though he was unconscious, Felix could see it—the corners of his son's lips curving to produce a faint grin, one of satisfaction and relief.

Felix sets his chin on top of his boy's head and holds him close, never wanting to let him go and relishing the warmth of his small body.

On his left was Annette cradling their eldest daughter close, singing a little tune for their little girl to sleep, and pressing the sides of their heads together. Gwen responds by nuzzling her head along her mother's shoulder, wrapping her chubby arms loosely around the neck, and sighing deeply.

Annette sneaks a glimpse at her husband and locking eyes, flashes a smile at him.

Felix mirrors hers and outstretches his other hand to claim hers, intertwining them and squeezing it fiercely.

She looks up and locking eye contact, flashes a wide smile.

Felix does the same and outstretches his hand to claim hers, intertwining them together.

They moved forward, hand-in-hand, and venturing outside the airport to the cold, frigid world they fondly call home.

* * *

**Thank you all for taking the time to read and let me know what you think, especially you roxyryoko!**

**I have one more thing left to do and then I'll go back to my little cave!**

**Please be on a lookout for that!**


End file.
